Remember Me?
by A Thing For Brothers
Summary: This is a story about Darry falling off one of the roofs he was roofing, and receiving a concussion. He remembers Soda, but he can't remember Pony. It's not one of my best, but I hope you like it! I wrote an epilogue for it. Thanks for r&r!
1. Pony's POV

Remember Me

Carrying two bundles of roofing up the ladder, Darry looked out across the road. He saw two young men, about his age, talking and laughing together. If only he could do that. But life hasn't been that kind to him.

His parents had died in a car accident, leaving him to be the guardian of his two younger brothers, Sodapop and Ponyboy. His dreams of going to college came crashing down around him. He couldn't leave them. So, without complaint, Darry gave up the idea of going to college, and roofed houses for a living. Why had this happened to him? Darry could not understand. With love and dedication, Darry provided for his small family with the help of Sodapop.

On top of the roof, Darry began work. Pounding each piece into place, Darry worked hard. When the two were in place, Darry backed up, preparing to go down the ladder. When he placed one foot on to the ladder, the ladder wobbled, falling to the ground with his foot stuck inside. Darry fell to the ground, along with the ladder, as it toppled on top of him.

His head hurt. He heard Jeff, his coworker, call to him, "Darry! Are you all right?" Before Darry could answer, he passed out, trying to remember who Darry was.

"Hello?" Soda answered the phone. I watched him as his facial expressions changed. Something was wrong. The fear on Soda's face made that clear. I sat there, waiting to figure out what disaster was upon us this time.

"Where is he?" Soda asked. Oh, no, I thought. It must be one of the gang, or maybe. . .no, not Darry. Please don't let it be Darry.

Darry is my oldest brother. Though he's always yelling at me, I know he loves me and I love him, too. A few months ago, Darry had hit me because I was late coming home, and he was mad and scared. It upset me that he hit me. It made me think he didn't love me anymore. But when I returned home almost a week later, I realized that Darry loved me. He just cared so much that he was trying to make something out of me. That's why he yelled so much.

Since then, Darry and I have gotten along a lot better. We still have arguments every now and then, but we're too different not to. Whenever he yells at me, instead of getting mad at him, I think of why he's doing it. It helps to know he's doing it because he cares.

Soda hung up the phone and looked at me. "It's Darry." He said. "He fell of the roof of one of the houses he was working on and broke his leg. They think he will have a concussion, and he has a few broken ribs. He's at the hospital. We need to go."

I followed him out to the truck. As we pulled out of the driveway, our tires screeched, and we were on our way.

At the hospital, I walked silently with Soda. He got a hold of one of the nurses, trying to figure out where Darry was. When we found out where he was, we went to see him.

There was a doctor waiting outside for us. He smiled at us and said, "He's doing well. He should be able to go home in about a week. We need to run some tests to make sure there's no damage done to his brain, but he should be good as new very soon. You can go see him now."

We walked into Darry's room. He was laying on the bed, limp and dead-like. I felt goose bumps on my arms and tears spring to my eyes. The strong older brother looked weak and helpless laying there. Soda and I each took a seat on a side of his bed. I was to his left, with Soda on his right.

"Hey, Superman." Soda said. "How you feeling, buddy?" There was no response.

We sat there with him for ten minutes, when he started to stir.

His eyes looked confused and frightened. He looked around the room, and then at Soda and I.

"Soda?" He asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah, buddy. It's me. Pony's here to." He said, nodding toward me.

"Pony?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm here." I said in a shaking voice.

"Who's Pony?" Darry asked.

I felt the blood drain from my face. The tears were threatening to spill over, as I tried to regain my composure.

"It's Ponyboy, Darry. You know, your brother?" Soda tried.

"I don't remember Pony." He said sternly.

"Okay. Maybe you'll remember tomorrow. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus." He said, chuckling without humor.

"Ladder, actually." Soda said, grinning.

"What happened?" Darry asked, still confused.

"Well, from what I hear, you got your foot stuck in the ladder and the ladder fell, taking you with it."

"So that's why my leg hurts."

"Yeah, you broke it."

"I'm tired."

"Go to sleep then. We'll be back to check on you in the morning before I go to work."

"Okay." Darry said, as his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

"Let's go, Pony. He needs his rest."

"Okay." I said, trying to make my voice sound normal unsuccessfully.

"Hey. Just because he didn't remember you doesn't mean anything. They said he had a concussion." Soda tried to comfort me.

"Then why'd he remember you!" I asked, angry and sad.

"I don't know. He'll come around in a few days. Just wait. He'll come back to us."

I wiped at my eyes, trying to dry the tears. Sodapop looked over at me and then placed his arm around my shoulders. I took a quivering breath to calm my emotions. We went home and went to sleep. In the morning, we'd go see Darry.

When we got to the hospital, Darry was awake and sitting up in his bed. He looked sad and confused. When he saw Soda, he brightened. Though Darry didn't seem to remember anything else about his life(or family), he still remembered Soda. He knew Soda was his brother, and that brought comfort to him in his confused state.

"Hey, Soda." He said, laying weakly back on his pillow.

"Hey, bud. Ponyboy's going to stay with you to keep you company after I leave. Is that all right?"

"Sure. I don't care. I'm just glad I'm not in a room full of strangers still."

It was so weird. My tough, strong brother looked so vulnerable and defenseless in this big hospital. I don't think he understood what was going on, and it scared him.

"Okay, " Soda said. "If you're cool with it and feeling all right, I'll go to work. Take care, Darry." And with that, he left.

I sat down next to him. He looked at me intently.

"Do I know you? You look so familiar."

If you want to know what it feels like to have your heart torn out of your chest and then stomped on, it's having your older brother who you love so much not know who you are. I felt tears form in my eyes. I bit back a sob and said, "Yeah. You know me."

We sat there in silence. Darry fell asleep a little while later. When he woke up next, Sodapop came in the door.

"Hey, guys. It looks like you've been having fun." Soda said.

"Not really. I've just been sleeping." Darry replied.

"Well, that sounds good to me. You ready to go, Pony?"

"Yeah." I said, not too enthusiastically.

That night as Soda and I lay in bed, I began to think about how Darry has forgotten me. I just couldn't understand it. I thought he loved me. I know he has a concussion, but he still remembered Soda. Did he love Soda more? It just didn't make sense to me.

Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I was surprised Soda seemed to notice. He turned over from his side of the bed and put his arms around me.

The tears became sobs as Soda held me. I was so confused. I thought Darry loved me. What went wrong?

"Listen, kiddo," Soda said in the darkness. "Darry loves you just the same. He's always loved you and he always will. Don't worry about it. He'll come around soon."

It wasn't much comfort to me, but I was able to sleep better with the protection of Soda's arm around me.

The days went by too slow for my taste. Each day(since it was summer), Soda would drop me off at the hospital while he went to work. Everyday Darry didn't recognize me, and it was nearly killing me.

On Darry's last day there, I was supposed to stay a little later than usual. Soda was going to some party with Steve, but he said he'd be at the hospital around eleven for me. On his lunch break, he came to see me and brought me some lunch. It helped the day go by a little better, but it was hard still.

Around nine o'clock that night, Darry awoke from his nap. He looked at me strangely, and then said, "Who are you?"

"Remember me?" I asked. "It's me. Ponyboy."

"No, I don't know any Ponyboys." He replied.

I couldn't take it anymore. I broke into sobs and I sat down, my back toward him so he couldn't see my pain. Darry sat back and closed his eyes, falling asleep again.

I looked at him on the bed, and I thought of something to do.

I got into bed with him. I lay by his left side, and fell asleep there.

When I woke up, the only thing I noticed different was that Darry had an arm around me and my head was on his heart. I could hear each thump as his heart beat steadily.

When I got up and walked toward the door, a strong hand grabbed by wrist. I turned to see Darry looking at me.

"Ponyboy?" He asked.

Tears of joy filled my eyes as Darry finally recognized me. "Yeah," I said. "It's me."

Joy overwhelming me, I jumped into bed again and hugged him tightly, while trying to keep from hurting his leg. Darry's strong arms came around as he held me close. He didn't let me go(though I wouldn't have let go, either) until we noticed someone was at the door.

We both looked up to see Soda looking at us, tears in his eyes.

"Come here, little buddy." Darry said. "You might as well join the group."

Soda came and lay on Darry's other side. Hugging and laughing together, we lay there. We stayed there all through the night, as the three of us slept soundly for the first time in a long time.


	2. When Unconscious

Blackness was all he saw. What happened? Why is everything so dark? Darry wished someone would turn on the lights, but no one had turned them off in the first place.

Slowly, things took shape around him. He was at a movie theater. What am I doing here? He thought to himself. I hate movies.

He looked around at the few people there, when he recognized one of them. Who is that boy in the navy sweat shirt? He looks so familiar.

Darry walked over to the kid, and sat down next to him. For some reason, he thought he knew this boy, but he didn't know how.

When the movie ended, he looked at the kid, and said, "Don't I know you?"

The kid never even looked at him. It was as though he wasn't even there.

"Hey, did you hear me? I asked if I knew you." He said a little louder.

Then the guy got up and left the movie theater. Darry followed, about to pick a fight with him for being so stuck up, even though he sure didn't look like a preppy kind of guy.

He followed the kid, until he had stopped. Darry walked beside him and said, "Why aren't you listening to me? Did I offend you some way? Have I done something to you before, but don't remember it?"

Still, the kid walked on. A car passed them by and the people inside yelled, "Hey, greaser!" The guy he was following looked shook by that, but he continued to walk(a little faster Darry thought).

About three blocks later, Darry noticed that they were being followed. "Hey, man, some one's following us."

The boy didn't look up, but Darry noticed that his palms were wet and he kept trying to dry them on his pants. He must realize that they're being followed.

Finally, the car that had been trailing them pulled up beside them. One of the guys from the car said, "Hey, greaser, need a hair cut?"

"No." The kid said.

Darry tried to look cool, as though they weren't affecting him. He wasn't scared of them, but this other guy might be a bad fighter.

The guys from the car jumped on the kid, leaving him safe from harm. Darry tried to help him, but he noticed when he grabbed at one of their shirts, his hand slipped through. What's happening to me?


	3. Who are these people?

Darry watched helplessly as the poor kid got beat up. He tried calling for help, but no one seemed to notice him. He got worried when the pulled a blade on him, thinking they would cut his head off. Apparently, the kid thought of this, too, because he started screaming.

Finally, some guys, who also looked familiar to him, came running over and started beating up the guys from the car. They seemed protective of this guy, so he stayed to figure out who these people were.

Then, the strangest thing happened-he saw himself coming over. But it couldn't be! It was true, though. This guy held every exact detail that he had, even that scar he had on his forehead, the one he got in a fight.

His double ran over to the kid, hauling him up by the under arms. He started shaking him. "Are you okay, Ponyboy?" His double asked. What kind of a name is Ponyboy?

"I'm okay. Quick shaking me, Darry, I'm okay." _Darry. _His heartbeat quickened. It _is _me!

"I'm sorry." I said. . .well, the other me.

Ponyboy sat down, shaking slightly. Then, another guy, who looked a lot like Ponyboy, came over and checked on Pony.

"Hey, Pony. You got cut up a little, huh?" The guy asked.

"What?" Pony asked, confused.

The guy took out a handkerchief, wet it with his tongue, and pressed it against the wound. "You're bleeding like a stuck pig."

"I am?" Pony asked.

"Look! Did they pull a blade on you?"

"Yeah." Pony said. I almost said it, too.

Ponyboy started shaking and the other guy put his hand on Pony's shoulder.

"It's okay, Pony. They ain't gonna hurt you no more." The guy told him.

"I know. I'm just a little spooked, that's all."

"You're an okay kid, Ponyboy."

"You're crazy, Sodapop. Out of your mind."

I, my other self, looked annoyed. "You're both nuts." I said.

Sodapop(another weird name) said, "It seems to run in this family" as he lifted an eyebrow.

I then did something weird. I smiled.


	4. Real World

The light was bright. I heard a slight beeping noise, but that was all. I looked up and saw a familiar face looking at me.

"Soda?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Yeah, buddy. It's me. Pony's here too." Soda said, nodding toward a stranger. But he wasn't a stranger. I knew him. He was that kid. Wasn't he?

"Pony?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm here." The stranger named Pony said.

"Who's Pony?" I asked, confused. I wasn't sure if I was dreaming, or if this was real.

"It's Ponyboy, Darry. You know, your brother?" Sodapop said.

"I don't remember Pony." I said, still trying to figure out who these people were.

"Okay. Maybe you'll remember tomorrow. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus." I said, chuckling without humor.

"Ladder, actually." Soda said, grinning.

"What happened?" Darry asked, still confused.

"Well, from what I hear, you got your foot stuck in the ladder and the ladder fell, taking you with it."

"So that's why my leg hurts."

"Yeah, you broke it."

"I'm tired."

"Go to sleep then. We'll be back to check on you in the morning before I go to work."

"Okay." I said, and that was the last thing I remember, because I fell asleep.


	5. They're my brothers!

The next thing I knew, I was back with the boys. I wondered what was going on. I looked over, and my double was talking.

". . .You must think at school, with all those good grades you bring home, and you've always got your nose in a book, but do you ever use your head for common sense? No, sirree, bub. And if you did have to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade."

Ponyboy looked at his shoes. Who was I to tell him what to do? Why was I hollering at him, like I was his father?

Soda glared up at me and then said, "You leave my kid brother alone, you hear? It ain't his fault he likes to go to the movies, and it ain't his fault the Socs like to jump us, and if he had carried a blade, it would have been a good excuse to cut him to ribbons."

I looked angry and impatient, when I said, "When I want my kid brother to tell me what to do with my other kid brother, I'll ask you, kid brother."

What? "Kid brother?" That means. . .they're my brothers!


	6. Where are our parents?

The next thing I remember, I was in a bedroom, with the two brothers Sodapop and Ponyboy. But wait, they're MY brothers, too.

I watched a shiver run through Ponyboy and then his brother Sodapop said, "Cold, Pony?"

"A little." The kid replied. It seemed to me he was scared, not cold.

Sodapop rolled over and placed and arm around Pony's shoulders.

"Hey, listen, kiddo. When Darry hollers at you, he don't mean nothing. He's just got more worries than somebody his age ought to. Don't take him serious, you dig, Pony? Don't let him bug you. He's really proud of you 'cause you're so brainy. It's just because you're the baby. I mean, he loves you a lot. You dig?"

I felt awful. I didn't remember any of this happening, and I couldn't understand yelling at Pony. If he was my brother, I should be nice to him, right?

"Sure." Pony said, a little sarcastically. It was obvious that he didn't believe Soda.

"Soda? How come you dropped out of school?"

"'Cause I'm dumb. The only things I was passing anyway were auto mechanics and gym."

"You're no dumb."

"Yeah, I am. Shut up and I'll tell you something. Don't tell Darry, though." What can't he tell me?

"Okay."

"I think I'm gonna marry Sandy.s After she gets out of school and I get a better job, and everything. I might wait till you get out of school, though. So I can help Darry with the bills and stuff." Why do I have to pay the bills? Where are our parents?

"Tuff enough. Wait till I get out, though, so you can keep Darry off my back." Poor Pony. I must be a real jerk.

"Don't be like that, kid. I told you he don't mean half of what he says. . ."

"You in love with Sandy? What's it like?"

"Hhm. It's real nice."

Then they fell asleep.


	7. What kind of a horrible brother was I?

I woke up to the sound of some people talking. What's going on?

I looked across the room and saw Sodapop and that other kid, Ponyboy, talking.

"Hey, Soda." I said, laying weakly back on his pillow.

"Hey, bud. Ponyboy's going to stay with you to keep you company after I leave. Is that all right?"

"Sure. I don't care. I'm just glad I'm not in a room full of strangers."

"Okay, " Soda said. "If you're cool with it and feeling all right, I'll go to work. Take care, Darry." And with that, he left.

Ponboy sat down next to me. I looked at him intently.

"Do I know you? You look so familiar." I asked.

Ponyboy said, "Yeah. You know me." HIs eyes looked wet, but I wasn't sure if he was going to cry or not.

I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was at another movie theater.

I was sitting next to Ponyboy, who was my "brother." I still didn't understand if this was a dream or not. It had the quality of a dream, but I had the strangest feeling of déjà vu.

We were watching some beach movie, and there were two other guys sitting with us. I looked at them, and vaguely remembered them as the ones who rescued Pony.

"Hey, Dallas," Pony said, "how long is the movie? I can't be late coming home, or Darry will get mad."

"I don't know, kid. I'll make sure you're home before bedtime." He grinned at Pony. So that was Dallas. So who was the other guy?

Two girls sat in front of us. One had red hair, and the other had short brown hair. They were good-looking girls.

Dallas started saying dirty things and embarrassing the girls. They tried not to show it, but they were failing.

When Dallas put his feet on one of their chairs, the red-head turned around and said, "Get your feet off my chair and shut your trap."

Dallas wasn't threatened. He kept on tormenting them and didn't leave until the red-head said, "Get lost, hood!"

The red-head glared at Pony. "Are you gonna start in on us now?" The other guy had run off by now.

"No." Pony said, shyly.

Her gaze softened. "You don't look the type. What's your name?"

Pony looked embarrassed when he said, "Ponyboy Curtis."

"That's an original and lovely name." She replied smiling at him.

"Yeah, I got a brother named Sodapop. It even says so on his birth certificate."

"My name's Sherri, but my friends call me Cherry because of my hair."

"I know. We go to the same school. You're a cheerleader." Same school? Ponyboy can't be old enough to go to high school, and Cherry sure isn't young enough to be in junior high.

"You don't look old enough to be going to high school." The dark girl said, as though reading my mind.

"I'm not." Pony said. He must be really smart, I mused.

"Your brother, Sodapop, he works in a gasoline station, right? A DX I think."

"Yeah, that's him."

"Soda's a doll. I should have known you were brothers. You look alike."

Pony smiled with pride.

They sat there, talking, when Dallas came back. The other guy, named Johnny, was back, too.

"Here I thought this might cool you off." Dallas said, handing a coke to Cherry. She threw it in his face and said, "Maybe that'll cool you off, greaser. When you learn to talk and act decent, I might cool off, too."

Dallas grinned evilly. "Fiery, huh? That's the way I like 'em."

Cherry shoved at him when he tried putting his arm around her. Johnny came to her rescue when he said, "Leave her alone, Dal."

Dallas stalked off and Cherry said, "Thank you, he had me scared to death."

"Sure didn't show it. Nobody talks to Dal like that." Johnny said.

"From what I saw, you do."

The girls asked them to sit up with them, and I joined in, though no one knew I was there. I thought I might be dead, but I guess I wasn't.

After the movie and Two-Bit, one of the guys who saved Pony, came, we started to go to Two-Bit's house to get his car. I walked with Pony and Cherry, while Two-Bit, Johnny, and Marcia, the dark-haired girl, walked together.

Cherry looked over at Pony and said, "So tell me about your oldest brother. You never seem to talk about him."

"What's to talk about?" Pony said. "He's big and handsome and likes to play football."

"I mean what's he like? I feel like I know Soda from the way you talk about him. Tell me about Darry. Is he wild and reckless like Soda? Dreamy like you?" Yeah, what's my story? I thought.

Pony's face reddened as he said, "He ain't like Sodapop and he sure ain't like me. He's hard as a rock, and about as human. He's got eyes like frozen ice. He thinks I'm a pain-in-the-neck. He likes Soda, but he can't stand me. I bet he wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere, but Soda won't let him."

I was taken aback. I never would have thought that was how I was. I must be a horrible person for my brother to say that about me. I was sick with shame. What kind of horrible brother was I?


	8. How could I do such a thing?

The next thing I remember, I was in a lot with Ponyboy and Johnny. It was late, and Ponyboy was asleep. Johnny shook him and said, "Wake up, Pony."

Pony woke up with a start and said, "God, what time is it?"

"I don't know. I fell asleep, too. You'd better get home. I think I'll stay out here all night."

"Okay, but if you get cold, come on to my house."

"Okay."

I followed Pony as he ran home. He must have been scared or cold, because he was shaking.

When he walked in the door, I woke up and said, "Where the heck have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?" I looked angry, and Pony looked afraid of me. He shook his head no.

"Well, it's two in the morning, kiddo. Another hour and I would have had the police out after you. Where were you, Pony? Where in the almighty universe were you?" I said, my voice rising.

"I. . .I went to sleep in the lot." Pony stammered.

"You what?" I yelled, almost shouting.

Soda sat up from his place on the couch and said, "Hey, Pony, where you been?"

Pony ignored him, and said, "I didn't mean to. I was talking to Johnny, and we both dropped off. . ."

"Well, I reckon it never occurred to you that your brothers might be worrying their heads off and afraid to call the police because something like that could get you two thrown in a boys' home so fast it'd make your head spin. And you were asleep in the lot? Ponyboy, what on earth is the matter with you? You haven't even got a coat on."

Tears were in Pony's eyes as he said, "I didn't mean to."

"I didn't mean to!" I yelled. "I didn't think! I forgot. That's all I ever hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?"

Soda tried to cut in when he said, "Darry. . ."

Turned on him and said, "You keep your trap shut! I'm sick and tired of hearing you stick up for him. You hear me?"

Pony looked mad when he yelled, "Don't you yell at him!"

Then, the unthinkable happened. I turned around and slapped Pony so hard that he was knocked against the door.

We were all silent. I glared at my other self, as I looked at my hand where it turned red.

"Ponyboy. . ." I said.

Ponyboy turned and ran out the door. I glared at my other self, disgusted. How could I do such a thing?


	9. Surprising Thoughts

I ran after Ponyboy. By that time, he had run into Johnny. They were running away, and I only caught up with them because they stopped.

Pony was sitting on the curb, crying into his arms. Johnny sat down next to him, trying to comfort him. I wished I could do the same.

"Gotta cigarette?" Pony asked.

"Yeah." Johnny said, handing him one and giving him a light.

"What happened?" Johnny asked. "I never seen you bawl like that before."

"Darry hit me. I swear, we used to get along just fine, until Mom and Dad died. Now he can't stand me."

So that's what happened. I thought. Our parents are dead. No wonder they weren't there to stop me. I'm their guardian now. Then why am I so mean?

"Let's go walk to the park. Maybe by then I'll be cooled off enough to go home." Pony said.

"Okay." Johnny replied.

Good. They'll go for a walk, come back home and they'll be fine. Too bad that wasn't it.

The bright lights were shining down on me when I woke up. Where am I? I thought. Oh, I thought as I realized what happened, I'm in the hospital.

This time, no one was there to greet me. A nurse walked in, asked me how I was, and then left. I must have fallen asleep soon after, because I don't remember anything else.

"Johnny!" I heard Pony scream. What was going on?

The first thing I saw was Johnny getting beat up by some big guys. I wondered where Pony was. Panicking, I ran past them and saw Ponyboy being pushed into a fountain. His head was now underwater. I ran toward him, prepared to fight the guys doing it to him.

I took a swing at them, and my hand went straight through them again. What's going on? Why can't I touch them? Why can't they see me?

So I had to watch in horror as Ponyboy was drowning. I tried to go help Johnny, too, but nothing worked.

Finally, Johnny came toward them and stabbed one of them with his switch blade. The others all got scared, and ran into their car. The one who got stabbed fell to the ground. Blood spilled out of his side, and I got sick to my stomach.

Johnny pulled Pony out of the water, but he was unconscious or dead. I watched impatiently, trying to figure out if I'd lost my brother or not. If I had, it was my fault.

Johnny checked Pony's pulse, and he must have found one, because he just sat back against the fountain.

A few minutes later, Ponyboy regained consciousness. He started coughing and spitting out water. He looked frozen. Goosebumps were on his arms and his teeth were chattering.

"I killed him." Johnny said.

"Johnny, I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Go ahead. I won't look at you."

Ponyboy went over to the swings, and was silently sick for a while.

"Pony, you all right?" Johnny asked, still holding the switch blade that was red to the hilt.

"You really did kill him." Pony said.

"Yeah. I had to. They were drowning you. They might have killed you. They were gonna beat me up. The others all ran off when I stabbed him."

Finally, when they were done being too scared, they decided that they'd go to Dallas. They figured he could get them out of the mess they were in.

Dallas was great help. He gave them a gun, fifty bucks, and the idea to go to an abandoned church in Windrixville. I wanted to protest, but they wouldn't have heard me.

They jumped onto a train and made their way to Windrixville. When they got there, they jumped out of the train, and headed toward Jay Mountain.

As soon as they got there, they went to sleep. I must have, too, because the next thing I knew, it was daylight again.

Johnny must have gone to get groceries, like Dallas advised. Ponyboy was sitting in the corner, with a cigarette in his mouth. Johnny was sitting beside him, staring at the wall.

"Why does he hate me?" Pony said suddenly.

"Who?" Johnny asked, confused.

"Darry. He used to like me before Mom and Dad died. Now he acts like he hates me. What'd I do wrong?"

No, Pony, I thought, I love you. I didn't mean to hit you. I was surprised by my thoughts. I never knew I loved him.

"He doesn't hate you. He's just worried a lot. He'll come around. He still loves you."

Pony wiped his eyes. He was crying because he thought I hated him.


	10. The Church

When I woke up next, Dallas was there with Pony and Johnny. I wondered how many days had gone by.

We were in a car at a DQ. Johnny and Pony were wolfing down sandwiches while Dallas was eating a hot dog.

The car started up and we were on our way back to the church. When we got there, it was on fire.

What in the world? I thought. What happened?

There were people surrounding the building. Pony jumped out of the car and ran toward the church. I followed him.

When one of the adults said some of the kids were missing, we heard a scream come from inside. Pony ran to the church and climbed inside through a window.

"Hey, Pony."Johnny said. I hadn't realized he was there, too.

Pony and Johnny found the kids inside, and started getting them out through a window. Dallas was on the other side, taking the kids as Johnny and Pony handed them to him. When the kids were all outside, Pony went to the window. Johnny fell down when a piece of timber hit him.

Dallas grabbed Pony before he could go back inside. I noticed, frightened, that Pony's arm was on fire. Dallas put it out and went back in for Johnny. Ponyboy lay unconscious on the ground.

I was with Pony when he was in the ambulance. I was afraid he wasn't going to be okay, but when he came to, he seemed fine.

We waited in the waiting room after Pony was taken out of the ambulance. We watched Johnny and Dallas come in. Johnny looked lifeless, but Dallas was fine. He cursed at Pony, telling him if he ever did that again, he'd kill him.

Jerry Wood, the teacher who was there at the church, sat next to Pony. He was talking to him about how he shouldn't be smoking, but that didn't stop Pony. Finally, Jerry said, "You've got visitors. They claim to be your brothers, or something."

Pony jumped up, and ran to the door. Sodapop was there. He grabbed Pony, hugging him tightly. When he set him down he looked at his hair.

"Oh, Pony, your hair. Your tuff, tuff hair." Soda said.

Then I noticed that I was standing in the door way. My hands were in my pockets. The only thing I said was, "Ponyboy."

After staring at me for a few minutes, Pony ran up to me, hugging me around the waist. "Darry, I'm sorry." He said. Why was he sorry? It was all my fault.

"Oh, Pony. I thought we lost you. Like we did Mom and Dad." The sobs were racking me. I realized that I must not be that bad of a brother after all. I do care, I just find it hard to show it.


	11. Pony!

The next day, we went to see Johnny and Dallas in the hospital. Two-Bit was with Pony and I. When we got to Johnny's room, a sick feeling came over me.

He looked horrible. There were burns all over him. He was laying face down, because his back was so badly burned.

He told Pony that he wasn't going to walk again. He was really sick looking.

Dallas was okay. He was up and moving when we saw him. Only his arm was burned, and he was ready to leave the hospital. He talked about the rumble, set for tonight. He hated missing it.

When he asked about Johnny, he became serious. He was upset when we left. He had asked for Two-Bit's switchblade. We left in a hurry, because his eyes were blazing with anger.

Pony sat down on a bench, while Two-Bit went to buy cigarettes. I looked at him carefully, because he looked like he was getting sick.

Two-Bit came back and placed a hand on Pony's forehead. Pony flinched, clearly shaken.

"You okay, Pony? You feel awfully hot."

"I'm okay. Don't tell Darry. I'll take a bunch of asprins when I get home." Don't tell Darry? Come on, I need to know this. He can't be in the rumble if he's sick.

"Okay." Two-Bit said.

When we were back at the house, the gang was all there, except Two-Bit had left to go home before the rumble.

We were all ready to go when we left for the rumble. Everyone was hyper, and we were ready to kick some Soc butt.

We were all lined up, ready for battle, when the Socs arrived. I stepped up to them, and said, "I'll take on anyone."

We heard a familiar voice yell, "Don't you know a rumble ain't a rumble with out me?"

I turned to see who it was, and I got hit in the chin. The rumble was on.

I was beating up people left and right. When I saw Pony was in trouble, I went over there and hit the guy who had been beating up Pony. He went flying back about three feet, and I went back to hit some more Socs.

Ponyboy was having a heck of a time. He helped Dallas out a lot, but he was getting the worst of it.

When he got kicked in the head, Sodapop landed all over the Soc who did it. I was worried he'd pass out, and someone would beat the tar right out of him, but somehow he remained conscious.

Finally, the rumble ended when the Socs ran away and into their cars. Two-Bit yelled, "Look at the dirty ---- run!"

I said in a tired voice, "We won. We beat the Socs."

I saw Dallas hauling Pony off, so I ran to join them.

Dallas started explaining to Pony that Johnny was dying and that he wanted to see Pony. I got sick to my stomach when I thought about poor little Johnny dying. He was too young to die.

We got pulled over by a cop, but Dallas told him that he was taking Pony to the hospital. He looked like he was, because Pony was bleeding a lot, and he looked pretty out of it.

The cop became our escort, and we got to the hospital in record time. We were going pretty fast to begin with.

Dallas helped Pony out of the car, but stopped once the cop drove off. Pony nearly fell, but they made it inside okay.

Johnny was definitely dying, if he wasn't dead already. Dallas told him about beating the Socs.

"No use. Fighting ain't no good." Johnny said weakly.

"They're still writing editorials about you in the paper. You know, about you being a hero and everything. We're all proud of you, buddy."

Johnny's eyes gleamed with pleasure. He turned to Pony and said, "Ponboy."

Pony leaned in close so he could hear what he was going to tell him.

"Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold." And with that, Johnny sank into the pillow, and died.

Dallas looked concerned. "Come on, Johnny." He said, as though Johnny hadn't just died.

"So this is what you get? This is what you get for helping people? Come on, Johnny, don't die on me. Please hold on."

Dallas turned and ran to the door. He slammed his fist against the wall. Then he ran out of the room.

Pony left the hospital, looking dazed and confused. He was finally given a ride.

When he got home, the gang was inside the house. Steve was laying on the couch, looking hurt. Sodapop was sitting on the floor, and I was in the arm chair. I had a cut on my forehead, and a black eye.

I jumped up when Pony walked in.

"Where have you been?" I asked. Oh, no, not this again, I thought.

I stopped, studying Pony. "Hey, Pony, what's wrong?"

"Johnny's dead." Pony said, shakily. "We told him about beating the Socs, and, I don't know he just died."

A silence fell across the room. I don't think anyone realized how serious Johnny's condition was.

"Dallas is gone. He ran out like the devil was after him. He couldn't take it. He's gonna blow." Pony said. He looked so sick. He needs to sit down.

"So he has a breaking point. So even Dally has a breaking point." Two-Bit said.

Pony started shaking. I walked over to Soda and whispered something in his ear.

"Hey, Pony. You look sick. Sit down."

"No." Pony said. "I don't want to sit down."

My other self took a step toward him, but Pony backed away. "Don't touch me." He said.

No! I wanted to scream. Make him sit down. Can't you see he's hurt?

The phone rang and I went to answer it. I hung up soon after.

"That was Dally. The cops are after him. We gotta hide him. He'll be at the lot in a few minutes."

We all ran to the lot as fast as we could. I couldn't help but notice how different it was from the last time we went to the lot.

Dally came running in about the same time we did. The loud sound of a siren filled the air.

Dally raised a gun up, and I couldn't help but want to beat him up. Whether it was loaded or not, the police would shoot him, and he'd be dead for sure. Dally crumpled to the ground under the street light. I felt a pain go through me. Suddenly, everything came back to me.

I remembered Dallas. He was one of my friends. He had grown up in New York. He was wild and tough, and no one wanted to make him mad.

I remembered Johnny. He was the quiet one, the gang's pet. He had a rough home life and we all tried to make up for it.

Two-Bit was the gang's clown. He was funny, and was always laughing about something. His father walked out on him and his Mom and little sister. His mom worked too much.

Steve Randle was Soda's best friend. He hated his father because he'd tell him he hated him, or to get out. He loved working on cars, and was really good at it.

Then I remembered Soda, my younger brother. He was always laughing and smiling, and could make people smile. He teased me a lot, and I enjoyed it. He was the middle man, and he was really close to Pony and I. He dropped out of school, and was now working at the DX station so he could help me pay the bills.

Then, I remembered Pony, my littlest brother. He thought I hated him because I yell at him a lot, but that isn't true. I just worry too much and I want him to be a better man than I am. He's sensitive and caring, while I'm hard and cold.

When I heard someone scream, "Glory, look at the kid!" I turned my head, and saw Pony crumpled to the ground. Pony!


	12. Together Again

I woke inside another hospital. Oh, good, I thought, we must be here for Pony. But when I looked around, I noticed that it was _me _who was in bed. I looked around, confused and dazed. What was going on?

A nurse walked into my room, and I asked her, panicking, "Where's Pony?"

She didn't respond. "Please!" I pleaded with her. "Tell me where my brother is! Is he okay! Tell me!"

Some doctors came in and I asked them all the same question. By now I was in hysterics, wondering with fear what had happened to my baby brother. Why did he collapse like that? What was wrong with him?

The doctors surrounded me, and the last thing I remember was saying, "ouch," and then I passed out.

When I came to, there was something different about my room. I looked over at the other side of the bed, and there was Ponyboy. He was okay! He was sleeping peacefully in the crook of my arm, so I tried not to disturb him. I laid my head back and closed my eyes. Everything was a lot better now. All I needed was Soda to make this a perfect day.

I noticed Pony started to stir, and so I let go of him. But when he got up, like he was about to leave, I grabbed him by the wrist.

"Ponyboy?" I said.

Pony's eyes filled with tears and he jumped back onto the bed, hugging me tightly.

"Yeah," he said, his voice choked, "it's me."

I hugged him close, as though he would go away if I ever let go. We stopped hugging, only when we noticed some one was at the door. It was Soda.

He was standing in the door way, tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

"Come here, little buddy. You might as well join the group." I said.

And he did. We all lay in the tiny hospital bed, hugging and laughing together. We fell asleep that way, and it was the best sleep I'd had in a long time.

**Don't worry. This is not the end!**


	13. Back Home

Darry got to go home the next morning. Since we had fallen asleep, we figured we'd wait until morning to go home.

I walked to the truck to get Darry's black t-shirt and jeans for him to change into. He was ready to go home, and Pony and I were ready to see him there.

I went back inside, and got on the elevator to the fourth floor, where Darry and Pony were waiting on me.

When I walked inside, Darry was sitting up in bed, looking ready to go already.

"Here you go." I said, handing Darry his clothes.

"Thanks. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Do you need any help?" I asked, pointing to his casted leg.

"No. I think I can get it myself."

"Come on, Ponyboy. Let's wait outside."

It wasn't long until Darry came hobbling out with his crutches. It was weird seeing Darry anything but the strong man he was. I felt bad for him, because I know it was bothering him that he had to take it easy. That wasn't a phrase in his vocabulary.

We headed home in the truck. I drove, with Darry sitting in the middle, and Pony on the other end. It was a quiet ride, surprisingly for us. I guess we were all content with just being together.

When we got Darry all set up on the couch, we watched a little tv. Then, I had to go to work.

"Ponyboy, don't let Darry get up too much. He's supposed to rest and keep his leg up. Don't let him boss you into letting him do work. You're the baby sitter today, kiddo."

"I don't like you talking about me that way, Sodapop Patrick."

"See what I mean?" I said to Pony, and he grinned.

"You guys take it easy. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay." Pony and Darry said simultaneously.

And with that, I went out to the truck and headed to the DX.

**Sorry this was so short a chapter. I'll write more soon!**


	14. Darry Won't Behave

The hardest thing for a younger brother to do, is stay at home with his older brother who's not supposed to be walking around but tries to anyway.

Darry was being as stubborn as a mule. I couldn't keep him down. I tried being nice and getting things for him, but he kept saying that he could do it himself. So I let him get up once or twice.

Then, he just started cleaning the house! That's when I drew the line.

"Darry!" I screamed. "Stop cleaning! You're supposed to be resting. Now go sit down!"

He was surprised at my reaction, but he recovered quickly.

"Pony? Who's the adult here? Me or you?"

"At the moment, I seem to be more like an adult than you do. You should know better than to be running around when you're hurt. Go sit down!"

"No." He said.

"NOW!" I yelled.

FInally, he gave in. But not long enough.

In about fifteen minutes, he was up again. This time, I took matter into my own hands.

I grabbed his crutches from him, and pushed him down into his chair.

"What the. . .?" He started.

I threw the crutches into the hallway, where he couldn't reach them.

"Pony! I need those!"

"No you don't. Unless it's an emergency, which it isn't, you don't need them. Now sit down and stay down."

"Ponyboy Michael Curtis..."

"No! Don't try that! Did I get up and run around when I had a concussion? No! Because you wouldn't let me. Take your own advice. Lay down on the couch, and take it easy."

"Pony. . ."

And that's how we ended up here. Me, sitting on Darry's lap, keeping him down until Sodapop gets home. Luckily for me, it should be soon.


	15. More Joy

When I came through the door after I came home from work, I was greeted by a strange, but funny, sight. Ponyboy was sitting on Darry's lap, looking angry and impatient. When I walked in, he jumped up.

"Thank God! You deal with him. He's too stubborn for me!"

"That bad, huh?" I said with a grin.

"Worse!" Pony spat out, pointing an accusing finger at Darry.

"Well you weren't so easy to deal with either. He wouldn't let me get up for an hour!"

"If I remember correctly, you weren't supposed to get up." I said.

Darry looked sheepish. "Yeah, well, I was allowed to get up a _little_."

"It's okay, Superman. I know how hard it is for you to stay sitting still for too long. You're worse than me sometimes." I said, giving him a quick punch on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't go that far." Darry said, cracking a grin, which is rare for him.

I sat next to him on the couch. I looked around, looking for something. When I didn't see it, I said, "Where are your crutches?"

"In the hallway. Pony threw them over there when I wouldn't sit down."

I had to laugh. I cracked up. I laughed so hard, I didn't think I'd ever stop. Darry soon joined me, and it felt good to hear him laugh again. I hadn't heard him laugh in a long time.

We sat there for a while, just watching tv. Ponyboy came out eventually. I think he was mad about Darry, but he seemed a little over it by now.

I got up to make supper. I was making fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Darry liked fried chicken the best, so I figured I'd make something special for him.

"Time to eat, guys!" I called from the kitchen.

Darry came hobbling in, with his retrieved crutches at his sides. Pony followed, having to go slower than usual because he was behind Darry.

We sat down and ate. It was pretty quiet, because none of us were talking much. The only thing said was, "Pass the salt" or something like that.

Two-Bit came barging in when we were almost done eating.

"Mm. Something smells good."

"It ain't you." Pony muttered under his breath. I had to stifle a laugh.

"What was that, kid?" Two-Bit asked.

"Nothing. I just said it must be the great food."

I couldn't hold back the laugh that time. I started laughing and everyone looked at me funny. Pony didn't, though. He was looking at his food, and his ears were turning red.

"Did I miss something?" Two-Bit asked.

"No." I said, wiping tears from my eyes.

"Okay." Two-Bit said, looking confused.

"So why are you here, anyway?" Darry asked him.

"Oh, yeah. I was here to see how Muscles was."

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. Superman feels no pain!" He said in a sing-song voice.

We all cracked up. We sat there, laughing, and joking around, for several hours. It felt good to laugh. We all needed more joy in our lives.


	16. Taken Care Of

The week Darry had to be in bed was the hardest on all of us. Soda hated leaving him alone, and I had to deal with him when I got home. We had Two-Bit come and "baby sit" him because Two-Bit is strong enough to pin him to the couch, unlike me. I was happy that school was starting again. Summers bore me after a while.

We were all relieved when Darry was allowed to move around again. I think he was the most, but I came in a very close second. The only other hard part was keeping him from over-doing it. He still wanted to work more than he should be, and it was hard stopping him.

I came home from school one day, and he wasn't in the arm chair, like he usually was.

"Darry!" I called. When I received no answer, I got worried.

I ran around the house, and when I got to his room, I found him, collapsed on the floor.

"Darry!" I cried in alarm.

He moaned, and I took it as a good sign.

"I'll call the hospital." I said, reaching for the phone.

He reached out and grabbed my hand.

"No." He said through gritted teeth.

"Darry, you're hurt. You need to go to the hospital."

"NO, I DON'T!" He hollered.

I flinched at his anger.

"But-" I started.

"I'm fine. I just fell, that's all."

"Darry! You were unconscious!"

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not okay. I'll call Soda."

"DON'T YOU DARE! I'M FINE! I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I backed up from him, for fear he'd hit me. He'd done it before, but it wasn't his fault. He was just worried about me.

I stood up. "Give me your hand." I said, holding mine out to him.

"No."

"Come on, Superman. At least let me help you up." I said, trying to be gentle.

He accepted my offer with a grunt. It was harder than I expected. He was a pretty big guy.

When I finally got him standing, he leaned on his good foot while I picked up his crutches.

"Here you go." I said quietly, and then turned and walked to the door.

"Pony. . ." Darry said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, Darry?"

"Um. . .thanks. I'm sorry I yelled. I just don't like being the one taken care of. I guess I'm not used to it. I'm usually the one taking care of other people. Not the other way around."

"Maybe you should be taken care of more often." I whispered.

He smiled at me and said, "Come here."

He opened up his arms to me, and I walked into them. He hugged me tight and pushed my hair back.

"You're a good kid, Pony." He said.

"Thanks. I guess I get it from you." I grinned, playfully hitting his arm.

"Yeah. I guess so."

I turned and walked out the door. I guess I did get it from him. I sure didn't get it from Soda, I thought, laughing to myself.


	17. Secrets

Darry was going to be allowed to go back to work in a month's time. It seemed like that month would never come.

It was hard on me, trying to work full time every day of the week. I think Pony understood this, and he tried to help out, but it wasn't enough.

The week after Darry was allowed to move around again, I noticed something was wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, but Pony was even quieter than usual and Darry slept more often. I was afraid they had gotten into an argument, so I asked Darry about it.

"Hey, Darry. Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked, coming into his room. He was laying on the bed, with a sports magazine in his hands.

"Sure, little buddy. What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if you and Pony got in a fight again."

"What? What gave you that idea?"

"It's just, Pony's been quieter than usual, and you aren't doing as much and sleeping more, and I was just wondering if something had happened."

"No. Actually, Pony and I have been getting along a lot better."

"Well, that's good. Do you know if something's bothering him? He seems to be quieter than usual, and that's not like him. Sure, he's normally quiet, but he's even more so than usual. Has he said anything to you?"

"No. He usually tells you everything, not me."

"Darry, don't talk like that. He loves you and you know it."

"Yeah, but sometimes I don't think he trusts me."

"Well, he must, or he wouldn't be living with you."

"That's true. Now, back to Pony. I noticed he's been coming home later most days. Sometimes I fall asleep, and he slips in, but I just figured he'd been going to the movies, or something."

"Yeah, but he would have told us." I argued.

"Well, that's true. I don't like him going to the movies on school night,s but what else could it be?"

"I don't know. I'll ask him about it sometime."

"Well, when you do, let me know what's up, okay?"

"Deal."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes before I spoke.

"I'm glad these things have happened."

"What?" Darry asked, clearly confused.

"I mean, with Mom and Dad and Dally and Johnny." When Darry gave me a skeptical look, I hurried on. "I don't mean that I'm happy they're dead, or that you fell off the ladder and got hurt, but I mean what's happened because of it.

You know, when you got your football scholarship, I was mad. I was mad because I knew you'd make it big, and become a celebrity or something, and then you'd never come back to little old Tulsa. I mean, you were going to get a lot of money after college, because you'd make it to the NFL, and everything. I was afraid I'd lose my big brother."

I sat there and wiped my eyes, when Darry's strong arms came around me.

I cried into his shoulder, and he said, "Never, Pepsi-Cola. Never. I'm right here. You'll never lose me."

"I know, but what if Mom and Dad hadn't died and you had to take care of us? You would have run off and become someone important, not that you aren't now. But, you wouldn't have cared about us anymore. We'd be just 'simple folk' who were apart of your life once."

"No, no, Sodapop. That never would have happened. And you know why? Because I love you. I love you and I love Pony. I never would have forgotten you. I would have been home to see you so much, you'd never get the chance to miss me. I love you, little buddy. I'd never leave you."

He hugged me again, and I stopped crying. I was glad I finally got that off my shoulders. It was a secret I had held for a long time.


	18. Where's Pony?

The weeks I had my cast on were torture for me. I didn't know how anyone expected me to just sit around and do nothing when I knew we were having money problems. Soda, bless his heart, was working full time every night of the week. But it just wasn't enough. I knew we had to bring in more money, but I had no way of getting it.

I noticed Pony looked more haggard everyday. I didn't know what was wrong, and when I'd ask him about it, he'd say it was nothing. It started to worry me, but I tried to ignore it. I figured he'd tell me or Soda about it sooner or later.

I started feeling less pain in my leg. The cast was annoying me, because I always had a terrible itch on my leg, and I could never scratch it. I knew what I'd do as soon as it came off-scratch it!

When Soda got home one night, I noticed Pony wasn't with him. He'd told me earlier that he was going to the DX to help Soda, but he wasn't there.

"Where's Pony?" I asked. Soda got off at eight, so it wasn't much to worry about if Pony wasn't home. He must have just gone to another movie or something.

"What do you mean?" Soda asked.

"He told me he was going to the DX to help you. Didn't he go?"

"No. I haven't seen him since I left this morning."

"Uh-oh" was all I said. It was starting to worry me. It wasn't like Pony to lie to me, and I didn't know what else he'd be doing. He would have told us if he went somewhere.

"What? What is it?" Soda asked, concerned.

"He told me he was going to help you. He would have told one of us that he was going somewhere. I think something must have happened to him."

"Don't look on the bad side. He probably just went to the movies and forgot to tell us. It's okay. If he's not here in half an hour, we'll go look for him, okay?"

"Fine. I'm still worried, though." I said stubbornly.

"Fine. Worry yourself gray-headed. It's no big deal. You know how absent-minded Pony can be."

He sat down next to me and we watched tv. Well, Soda might have, but I didn't. I was still thinking about Ponyboy.


	19. The Final Chapter

Fifteen minutes passed, and Ponyboy finally came home. Well, I shouldn't say "finally." It hadn't been that long.

I stood up as fast I could, considering I had a broken leg.

"Where were you?" I asked, sounding madder than I meant to.

"Um, I went. . . to the movies." He stuttered.

"Why didn't you go see Soda like you told me you were?"

"Um. . .I got side-tracked?" He sounded like he was making things up as he went along.

"Well, you couldn't have been seeing movies for the past six and a half hours. What were you doing?"

"Nothing!" He screamed, then ran into his room.

I looked to Soda and he shrugged. Neither of us knew what that was all about. I wasn't really being mean, I just wanted to know. He doesn't usually get mad. Why now?

Soda and I walked to Pony's room. He was laying face down, and his shoulders were shaking slightly. He looked like he was trying to keep from crying. Tough little kid.

"Pony?" Soda asked gently.

"What?" He spat.

"Why won't you tell us where you were? It's nothing bad is it?" Soda asked, still gentle.

"NO! I wasn't doing anything bad! I just don't want you to know!"

"Why?" I asked.

"It's a secret." He said lamely. I wasn't buying that.

I shook him slightly. "Come on, Ponyboy. Tell us where you were, and where you've been going these last three weeks. Ever since you started school you've been gone almost all day. Plus, you look like you haven't slept in weeks."

He sighed. I figured he'd tell us soon.

"I didn't want you to know." He said.

"Know what?" Soda asked.

"That I-" He started, but then turned over. He took something out from under his pillow. It was an envelope. I wondered what was inside.

"Um, this is for you." He handed it to Soda.

Soda sat there for a minute, reading what was inside. When he looked up, tears were in his eyes.

"Oh, Pony. . ." He said, and then gave Pony a big hug.

I was kind of confused as to what was going on.

I cleared my throat. "Can someone clue me in?"

"Here. Read it." Soda said, thrusting the envelope at me.

I took it and what I read left me speechless.

_Dear Soda and Darry,_

_I know how difficult this tome is for you. Darry, I know it's hard because you can't work, and, Soda, I know it's hard on you because you have to work too much. So I tried to help a little. I got a job three weeks ago. It's only part time, so, Darry, don't freak. I'm still getting all A's. I just wanted to help out. You never let me. I appreciate all you've done for me. Thanks. I love you guys._

_Love,_

_Ponyboy_

Then, inside the envelope was a check for five hundred dollars. It was enough to pay the bills. It'd work while I wasn't able to work.

"Oh, kid." I said, and I hugged him too.

"Well, it's nothing really. At least, compared to what you two do every week. I'm very lucky to have such great brothers. I thought I could at least get a part-time job, for a while anyway. It's the least I could do."

"You're the greatest little brother a guy could ask for." Soda said, tears sliding down his cheeks. He hugged Pony again, and I joined in.

"Thanks, guys. You're the best." Pony said, hugging us each.

"No, Pony. Thank _you._ You didn't have to do this, really."

"Yeah, but I wanted to. I knew we were running low on money, so I figured I could help."

"You're a good kid, Pony." I hugged him tighter, tears in my eyes.

"Thanks. You're a great brother." Pony said.

We all three hugged, and I knew everything would work out okay. We just needed to get me working again, and it'd be fine. Ponyboy was risking a lot working for us. I was proud of him and Soda. They're wonderful brothers and I love them both more than anything else in the world.

THE END!

**I hope y'all liked it! I thought that'd be a good ending. I hope it satisfied you. If it didn't, I'm willing to write an epilogue. Thanks for all the great reviews!**

**I do love The Outsiders!**


	20. Epilogue!

**By request, here is the epilogue! I figured I'd do it anyway.**

"So what job did you get?" Soda asked me. I was expecting it, anyway.

"Well, I started working at the grocery store. You know, the one by the DX."

"What? You mean you worked right down the street from me for three weeks and I never noticed?" Soda said, exasperated.

"Well, yeah. I saw you a lot. You were usually working, so I didn't bother you. Plus, if you walked by, I'd hide."

"Why?"

"I didn't want you two to find out. I was afraid you'd make me quit, even though we need the money. I know how much trouble we were in, even though Darry's boss covered all the hospital bills. It just wasn't enough. I didn't want us to run low on money, or they might split us up."

"No," Darry said. "That would never happen."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked, sniffling.

"Because we're a family. And they can never tear a family apart."

"Thanks."

"So when were you working? And doing what?" Soda asked, still confused as to my job.

"Well, I did three jobs in one. I'd carry people's groceries, be the janitor, and a cashier, if needed. It was hard work. It seemed like I was always carrying the heaviest thing in the building. That's why I always looked so haggard, I guess."

"Then why weren't you sleeping so much?" Darry asked gently.

"Well, I started worrying a lot. I was afraid I wasn't getting enough money. So I'd work more hours. On Mondays, I'd work for four hours, and by Friday, I'd be working about eight hours. Sometimes I'd work on Saturdays and Sundays, but I usually didn't because I was more likely to get caught."

"Oh, Pony. I'm sorry you had to go through all this." Darry said, patting my shoulder.

"It's okay, Darry. I was glad I was doing it. It made me feel better because I was helping you and Soda. That's all I thought about."

"Well, thank you." Soda said, punching my arm.

In two weeks, Darry got his cast taken off and he went back to work. I quit my job three weeks after Darry went back to work. My boss told me I could get another job should I ever need it.

I told Darry and Soda that I was thinking about working there next summer, so they wouldn't have to work so much and we could spend more time as a family. Darry said that it was a good idea, so I should have a job next summer.

**Well, that's the end. Like how I threw in the part about them being separated? Like with, "Never Let Me Go?" I hope this was enough for you, and I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate the support.**

**Stay gold!**


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